Hephaestus, the son of Zeus and
Hera, was the god of fire in its beneficial aspect, and the presiding deity
over all workmanship accomplished by means of this useful element. He was
universally honoured, not only as the {98} god of all mechanical arts, but also
as a house and hearth divinity, who exercised a beneficial influence on
civilized society in general. Unlike the other Greek divinities, he was ugly
and deformed, being awkward in his movements, and limping in his gait. This
latter defect originated, as we have already seen, in the wrath of his father
Zeus, who hurled him down from heaven[35] in consequence of his taking the part
of Hera, in one of the domestic disagreements, which so frequently arose
between this royal pair. Hephaestus was a whole day falling from Olympus to the
earth, where he at length alighted on the island of Lemnos. The inhabitants of
the country, seeing him descending through the air, received him in their arms;
but in spite of their care, his leg was broken by the fall, and he remained
ever afterwards lame in one foot. Grateful for the kindness of the Lemnians, he
henceforth took up his abode in their island, and there built for himself a superb
palace, and forges for the pursuit of his avocation. He instructed the people
how to work in metals, and also taught them other valuable and useful arts.

It is said that the first work
of Hephaestus was a most ingenious throne of gold, with secret springs, which
he presented to Hera. It was arranged in such a manner that, once seated, she
found herself unable to move, and though all the gods endeavoured to extricate
her, their efforts were unavailing. Hephaestus thus revenged himself on his
mother for the cruelty she had always displayed towards him, on account of his
want of comeliness and grace. Dionysus, the wine god, contrived, however, to
intoxicate Hephaestus, and then induced him to return to Olympus, where, after
having released the {99} queen of heaven from her very undignified position, he
became reconciled to his parents.

[35] Another version with
regard to the origin of this defect, is that being born ugly and deformed, his
mother Hera, disgusted at his unsightliness, herself threw him violently from
her lap, and it was then that his leg was broken, producing the lameness from
which he suffered ever after. On this occasion he fell into the sea, and was
saved by the sea-nymphs Thetis and Eurynome, who kept him for nine years in a
cavern beneath the ocean, where he made for them, in gratitude for their
kindness, several beautiful ornaments, and trinkets of rare workmanship.